The present application relates to a stage control device, a stage control method and a microscope, and is suitable for being applied to, for example, a field of observing a biological sample.
The biological sample is maintained after a tissue slice or the like subjected to dyeing as necessary is processed to an examinable state and is fixed to a preparation slide. Generally, when a maintenance period is extended, visibility in the microscope relative to the biological sample deteriorates due to deterioration, discoloration or the like of the tissue slice. Furthermore, the biological sample is also diagnosed in facilities other than the hospital where the sample is created or the like, the sending and the receiving of the biological sample is generally performed by post and a fixed time is necessary.
In view of the circumstances and the like, a device is suggested which images and preserves the biological sample as image data (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-222801).
In such a device, a biological sample image acquisition system is suggested which sequentially loads a plurality of preparation slides, which is stored in a cartridge provided outside the microscope, in the microscope and performs the imaging (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-244736).
In the biological sample image acquisition system, an arm automatically mounts the preparation slide of the imaging target from the cartridge on a stage of the microscope, and when the imaging is completed, the arm accommodates the preparation slide from the stage in the cartridge again.